stage manager

 Anne Carson’s 2012 translation of Sophocles’ Antigone was presented by Torn Out Theater in Association with the Center at West Park. The Production focused on Accessibility and Body Inclusivity, performing to audiences free of charge and showcasing TGNC artists in this nude staging.

Photos by Neal Bennington

“Putting any naked body onstage is an act of defiance in our increasingly repressed age. But putting naked trans bodies onstage, as Torn Out has done here, feels downright revolutionary. With so many state legislatures taking aim at transgender Americans, it's hard not to feel Antigone's spirit of resistance coursing through this production.

Quiroga conveys that most acutely with a performance that is both powerful and vulnerable. Longenecker is similarly bold in his portrayal of Haimon, who becomes Romeo to her Juliet. Kaia Parnell is a haunting presence as Nick (as in "Nick of Time"), constantly measuring the stage and counting heads in the audience. Amy Elizabeth makes a memorable late appearance as Kreon's wife Eurydike, managing to cut through Carson's often-too-clever Brechtian alienation (she enters with the line, "This is Eurydike's monologue it's her only speech in the play") to deliver real aching emotion.”

-Zachary Stewart, for TheaterMania

Featuring: Sophia Quiroga (Antigone), Sandile Mhlaba (Ismene), David John Phillips (Kreon), Milo Longenecker (Haimon), Kaia Parnell (Nick), El Yurman (Teiresias), Amy Elizabeth Scanlon (Euridyke), Sam Auch (Chorus/Gaurd), Sha Batzby (Chorus/Messenger)

Directed by Britt Berke, Original Music by Xander Browne, Produced by Carson Crow, Costume Design by Ilana Lumpkin, Set Design by Keyon Woods